On August 28, 2012 we released the Top 20 International Landscape Architecture Websites 2012. Now, the time has come to create a new list for 2013. This year’s Top 20 lists for urban planning and architecture were released on July 1st and we were excited to see a mix of sites from last year’s lists, as well as some new names joining the ranks. With that being said, who do you expect to find on this year’s list? We have searched through the world-wide web, near and far, to compile a brand new list that reveals where Landscape Architects are receiving and sharing information. With the help of Alexa International Rankings, Global Site Plansfound this select group to be the Top 20 International Landscape Architecture Websites for 2013. The immediate stand-out is Places, which has held onto the top spot two years in a row. Land8 and Landscape Online are the only other sites that have remained in the top 10 since last year. We can bid farewell to The Garden Landscape Guide, Sustainable Design and Development Blog, which all held high rankings last year but have completely dropped out of this year’s Top 20. Several sites that did not even make the top 20 last year now hold high rankings. But that is enough of an overview from us. Take a look at this year’s updated list and find out where the Landscape Architecture community is getting their news.

Amazingly enough, Landscaping Network wasn’t even in last year’s Top 20. But this year’s number two ranked landscape architecture website has gained notoriety by being a valuable resource to those interested in learning about any and every aspect of landscaping. The website is owned by ConcreteNetwork.com, which was founded in 1999 and acts as a source for the concrete and landscaping industries. Landscaping Network publishes articles that give you ideas for your front yard and backyard, as well as information on the latest landscaping trends, products, events, schools and jobs. You can view an impressive gallery of pictures for inspiration or sign up for their free newsletter.

Garden Visit is one of our new sites that entered the 2013 list with a bang after not even making the Top 20 in 2012. The site was founded in 1998 by Tom Turner, a landscape architect and garden historian, and then re-launched in 2007 with a larger stock of content and images. With sections devoted to landscape design, history, theory and garden design, this is your information kiosk for landscape architecture and gardens. You can scan through images of gardens from around the world, shop for garden products, look up garden history, and even search for nearby gardens, nurseries and hotels with an interactive map. Garden visit also has a link to CrinkeCrankle, which is essentially an online store for fibreglass planters and pots. To learn more about landscape architecture and gardens, scan through Tom Turner’s blog and sign up for Garden Visit’s newsletter.

Landscape Juice Network was nowhere to be found in the 2012’s Top 20, but here we see them at number six in 2013. Phil Voice started the Landscape Juice Blog in 2006 and then the Network in 2008 with the noble intention of helping small businesses in the industry use the web to network and grow. Users can participate in online forums, look up events, scan through photos or find a trader. In order to enjoy all of the site’s perks, you must become a member. This enables you to create your own profile, network with over 3,000 like-minded professionals, post blogs, comment in discussions, share content and promote events. If you are looking to brand yourself online, Landscape Juice Network provides several advertising options as well.

With so many sites moving up and down the list – and others entering and exiting – it may be safe to label this the most competitive group of websites out of our four lists; architecture, engineering, landscape architecture and urban planning Top 20. But please, let us know what you think. Are there any websites you think deserve to be in our Top 20 that we missed?

Robert Poole recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Anthropology and a minor in City and Regional Planning. He grew up in San Diego but now resides in San Francisco. He is intrigued by, yet concerned with the large discrepancies in socio-economic development within the Bay Area. He currently works at a non-profit organization in San Francisco that advocates for new housing development in the City through policy and legislation. As he continues his work, he hopes to gain a more in-depth understanding of the city’s public process in order to develop solutions that create more affordable housing options for the City's low to middle-income residents.

This is a great compilation list of resources for Landscape Designers and Architects to go to for inspiration and information, but I see a huge oversight that Houzz.com isn’t even in the top 20. Might not be where the professionals go for inspiration, but there are certainly a lot of them marketing their projects there, with a lot of consumer traffic.

Scott – Great work!! Can’t wait to you guys move up the rankings next year!

Lisa – Thank you! Houzz.com looks like a terrific site. It it more oriented to just home design, however, which I think puts it a bit out of the realm of landscape architecture, which focuses on outdoor public spaces. However, the two topics are interconnected and Houzz.com certainly serves its focus well.

R. Kay – Thank you for the feedback. Our rankings are based off of Alexa International Rankings, so the data it quantitative and not qualitative.

As founder & editor of Greenroofs.com I’d like to thank you for your research and our ranking in the #10 spot! Landscape architects, along with architects, designers, and others looking into including a greenroof or greenwall into their next sustainable project are our top demographic of international readers.

Coming from someone who has a Bachelor’s of LA, back in 1999 there wasn’t much out there about greenroofs online, so we started Greenroofs.com as a means to share information across this extremely multi-disciplinary field. We’re very glad to be on your list!

Thank you for your kind words! It is amazing how fast the field has grown in such a short amount of time. By being an effective online forum, you are contributing to this movement in a big way. Keep up the great work and I look forward to following your site’s growth.

It’s been fun being at the forefront and seeing our industry’s growth. With you being in San Francisco, we hope to see you at the upcoming 11th annual CitiesAlive Green Roof & Wall Conference and Trade Show at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis on October 23-26, 2013!

Thanks for the notice of ASLA’s website, and we’re happy to see it inching up. Did want you to know that we too were in last year’s top ten. And very, very happy to see Landscape Architecture Magazine make the list.

Hi Terry. ASLA is definitely on a positive trajectory, moving from #5 list year to #3 this year! We’re exciting to see Landscape Architecture Magazine move up the list next year. Both are tremendous sources of information and are highly effective in uniting the landscape architecture community.